26 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. » 



test in the army showed that. We might confer a general good 

 by shutting out the horse jockey from our fairs, and still have all 

 the pleasing part and the useful part of a horse trot. Why should 

 the jockey be allowed to go to Boston or New York and get some 

 worn-out trotter and come to our exhibitions and compete for the 

 prizes ? I would have these prizes go to the horses in our own 

 vicinity kept for breeding purjDoses — brood mares and stallions. 



I would not disparage our agricultural societies, or intimate 

 that they have not made the best arrangements they could under 

 the circumstancef ; but I was noticing the returns to the Secretary 

 of the Board of Agriculture, and I could not help observing the 

 disparity in some of the premiums offered and awarded by our 

 societies, although they may have done the best they could under 

 the circumstances. The amount of premiums paid for trotting 

 horses by my own society, for instance, is $185, while for stal- 

 lions, only $11 wag awarded; perhaps a little larger amount was 

 offered, but only $11 was awarded, to offset $185 awarded for 

 trotting horses. For breeding mares $5 was awarded. Some- 

 thing more was offered, but no great amount. Working oxen, 

 $25 ; bulls and bull calves, only $16 awarded. We had some 

 excellent animals and a goodly number of them exhibited. But 

 see the limited amount e^arded, compared with the amount paid 

 for trotting horses. I admit that we received twice as much 

 money at the gate the last day as we should have received, had 

 we not had a horse trot, but if we turn right about and .give the 

 money to the horses that are trotted, where is the advantage ? Is 

 not that a point worth considering ? 



Our society was organized in 1868, and our first fair occurred a 

 year ago last fall. We offered liberal premiums for trotting horses. 

 I will say, however, that the entries were not filled for the largest 

 premiums offered, and we got up some special trots, — the best we 

 could. In one case, a horse was entered clandestinely, from be.- 

 yond the limits of the society ; he was smuggled in unknown to 

 me. lie was an old horse called " Sleepy David," that had been 

 up and down the river, and had trotted at Bath, and hero, there 

 and everywhere, and always swept the stakes in his class. They 

 put him on the track, and he swept the stakes — drew every dollar 

 offered in that class. When we came to settle, we were compelled 

 to rule that horse out, thus creating a great deal of dissatisfaction 

 with the owners of the horse and their friends, although the result 

 proved we were right. But, as JMr. Martin has said, these horse- 



